Are Hydrogen Cars About to Take Off?

Over the past few years, battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, such as Tesla Motors' Model S, have gained significant popularity. Unfortunately, they still exhibit a number of problems, including limited range -- although that's not as much of an issue with the Model S -- and long charge times. Consequently, widespread adoption is slow in coming.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, or FCVs, on the other hand, perform much like an internal combustion engine vehicle -- they refill in minutes and get a similar range. However, they, too, have significant barriers to widespread adoption. But these barriers are eroding rapidly, and major auto manufactures including Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) , Honda Motor (NYSE: HMC) , and Hyundai Motor (NASDAQOTH: HYMTF) are releasing their FCVs, and soon. A hydrogen future may be closer than you think.

Toyota FCV Concept bare chassis. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The allure of hydrogenHydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. However, to get it in its pure form on Earth, it must be extracted. Doing so has proved to be inefficient, and costly. But those issues may soon be solved.

In November, Stanford researchers published a study detailing the creation of a silicon-based water splitter that's both low-cost and corrosion-free. Further, the entire process is sustainable and emits no greenhouse gases, according to Stanford News. Even better? John Turner, a renowned hydrogen water-splitting expert and a research fellow at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, stated about Stanford's discovery, "Producing hydrogen directly from the sun -- and in a way that is commercially viable -- is more a reality, less a pipe dream."

Moreover, Stanford isn't the only one in the water-splitting game. HyperSolar, in conjunction with the University of California at Santa Barbara, is in the process of developing a self-contained photoelectrochemical nanosystem, which produces renewable hydrogen using sunlight and any source of water -- even wastewater. The company already has a working prototype and also said that in the process of creating its nanotechnology, it developed a commercial hydrogen-extraction solution for today's renewable hydrogen market, called the H2Generator.

The first hydrogen fueling station in the U.S. fed directly from an active industrial hydrogen pipeline. The station is a collaborative effort among Toyota, Air Products and Chemicals, Royal Dutch Shell, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Department of Energy. The facility will provide hydrogen for demonstration FCV fleets in the Los Angeles area. Photo: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Overcoming the lack of infrastructureAnother large deterrent to FCVs is the current lack of infrastructure, but the H2Generator is a standalone, self-contained solar hydrogen generator that HyperSolar says "is intended to be installed almost anywhere to produce hydrogen fuel for local use." The company continues: "This distributed model of hydrogen production will address one of the greatest challenges of using clean hydrogen fuel on a large scale -- the need to transport hydrogen in large quantities."

But whether the H2Generator takes off or not, the U.S. Department of Energy has already launched a public-private partnership called H2USA that intends to "pave the way for mainstream hydrogen vehicle infrastructure." More importantly, the Energy Department released three new reports showing that the U.S. is "one of the world's largest and fastest-growing markets for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies," and that hydrogen technologies have seen considerable advancements and cost reductions.

Reducing the use of platinum One of the big drivers of cost for FCVs is the use of platinum in the fuel cell. However, Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with the Energy Department, is working on a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, of PEFC, which would replace the platinum cathode with a cheaper catalyst. Argonne states:

Argonne investigators have studied copper, iron, cobalt, and nickel base metals alloyed with the noble metal palladium. Oxygen reduction activities that are 75% of those of commercial platinum catalysts (per gram of platinum-group metal) have been achieved; these results could lead to a 60% reduction in the cost of the cathode electrocatalyst. Argonne scientists are currently determining the durability of these materials in an operating PEFC.

The reduction of platinum in fuel cells is potentially great news. However, CellEra, an Israeli company, already has developed a platinum-free fuel cell, or PFM, that it recently displayed at an expo at the Fuel Choices Summit in Tel Aviv. According to CellEra, the "heart" of the PFM uses a new, catalyzed solid polymer electrolyte, which makes the fuel cell's chemical environment alkaline -- as apposed to acidic, as in a traditional proton exchange membrane fuel cell. This alkaline environment allows for the use of a low-cost transition-metal-based catalyst, instead of platinum.

A Mercedes-Benz B Class F-Cell car fueling up with with hydrogen at NREL's National Wind Technology Center. Photo: Dennis Schroeder/NREL.

What all this leads toThere's no guarantee that these advancements in fuel cells will make it to commercial production. But they do show that there's a ton of research, and promising technology, coming down the pipeline, and that means hydrogen's future could be about to take off. Moreover, auto giant and hybrid pioneer Toyota,moved up the U.S. launch of its FCV to 2015 -- it was initially slated to launch in 2016. Hyundai and Honda are also planning on releasing their hydrogen vehicles in the U.S. in 2015.

In other words, all three manufacturers believe there's room for hydrogen's success, and soon. Yes, BEVs have a considerable head start on FCVs, but the benefits to FCVs are substantial. Consequently, if you're looking to invest in the future of green technology, you might want to take a look at these three manufacturers that are betting on hydrogen.

Don't buy into the green future without reading thisYou don't know it yet, but you probably spent thousands more than you should have on your vehicle. In fact, the auto industry can be such a dangerous place for consumers that our top auto experts are determined to even the playing field. That's why they created a a brand new free report on The Car Buying Secrets You Must Know. The advice inside could save you thousands of dollars on your next car, so be sure to read this report while it lasts. Your conscience, and your wallet, will thank you. Click here now for instant access.

Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment icon found on every comment.

Video below of what is happening in California at municipal wastewater treatment plants using fuel cell technology to produce 3 value streams of electricity, hydrogen and heat all from a human waste! This is pretty impressive in my opinion for hydro-refueling infrastructure.

"New fuel cell sewage gas station in Orange County, CA may be world's first"